To Be Young, Gifted and Black
Nina Simone, 1969 |
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This song was written in memory of Lorraine Hansberry. Who was Lorraine Hansberry, and how does the song honor her life and career? |
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To whom is this song addressed? Why do you think Nina Simone felt it necessary to write a song for this audience in the late 1960s? |
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Simone conveys a sense of optimism but also refers to being "haunted" by her youth. What happened in the 1960s that might have made her more optimistic than she was in her youth? |
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What stereotypes about young African Americans does this song challenge? |
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"To Be Young, Gifted, and Black" recorded by Nina Simone on Sugar In My Bowl: The Very Best of Nina Simone 1967-1972, ©1998. Available on Itunes, Spotify, and YouTube.
For more information on Nina Simone, visit www.ninasimone.com.
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Rights have not been secured to reprint the words for this song. Please consult this
online source
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/n/nina+simone/
to+be+young+gifted+black_20100554.html.
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 Nina Simone (1933–2003) was born in North Carolina. Her mother, a Methodist minister, objected to her daughter playing the "devil's music." At a young age Simone aspired to be a concert pianist and attended Juilliard with the help of a community scholarship. In 1954 she was hired as a cocktail pianist in Atlantic City, where she demonstrated a keen talent and ability to mix popular song with classical music (especially the counterpoint of J. S. Bach), jazz, and blues. In 1958 she moved to New York and made a name for herself playing in the bars of Greenwich Village. In 1964 the song "Mississippi Goddam" (VAT Unit 8) established her as as a leading voice in the Civil Rights Movement.
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Single cover for "to be young, gifted and black." |
"To Be Young, Gifted and Black" was composed in memory of Simone's friend, Lorraine Hansberry, the first Black woman to write a play performed on Broadway and author of the play A Raisin in the Sun (1957). The title is from an unfinished play Hansberry had been working on, and it was also a phrase that Hansberry had used when addressing a group of Black students. Simone asked poet and fellow musician Weldon Irvine to craft the lyrics, stating that she wanted something that would encourage Black children and instill in them a sense of confidence.
The song reached the top ten in the 1969 R&B charts, becoming one of Simone's biggest hits. Several other prominent artists, including Aretha Franklin, subsequently covered it. |
